AN: Thanks for the incredible response to this Snowing story! See previous chapter for important authors notes on characters and story notes.
Important note: Milah is not Neal's father in this universe. Cora is I've taken some liberties again with characters and back stories. :)
Special Note: By now, most of you know that NBC made the horrible decision to cancel Manifest, despite ending season 3 on a terrible cliffhanger. Thankfully, Netflix has saved Manifest and is giving us a final super sized season 4 with 20 episodes!
Another Special Note: The character of Cody Webber is from Manifest and not a Once character, FYI. The character of James Griffin is also a Manifest character.
This one will update bi-weekly on Monday nights. Please consider leaving a review, it is much appreciated. Here are individual responses to reviews:
Ghostwriter: Yep, that was quite a cliffhanger. Glad you're enjoying it!
Jennifer Baratta: Yep, Emma just walked into something for sure. Glad you're enjoying it
Grace5231973: Yep, it was quite a cliffhanger! Yep, Killian's jealousy caused all of this. Glad you're enjoying it!
Number Ten: Yep, Killian's jealousy caused a really terrible situation. Yes, there is a death date and it is horrifying, especially since Margaret is pregnant. Glad you enjoyed it!
Sexystarwarslover: Yep, we're at the end of season one, so we knew this was coming. Still heart wrenching though. Yep, angry David is a hot David. Yep, bizarre is putting it mildly. Yep, sleazy Whale and he's seen the anomaly. Yeah, Neal was ready to sacrifice himself for Emma and her family. Fortunately, it was not needed. Yep, Cora only loves power. Yep, Belle has come into the picture and she was on the plane too! Yep, one bad date with Whale here and thankfully nothing more. David should still punch him though. Yep, Margaret is pregnant! No, Emma and Killian are not David and Margaret. Unfortunately, Killian's jealousy is about to create a huge mess and sour things between him and Emma. Glad you're enjoying!
AnonSnowing: Yeah, a protective bubble for all of them would be good right about now. Yep, Belle is here and she was one the plane too! As always, Whale is slimy. Yep, Margaret is pregnant! Yeah, Killian is way out of line here. His jealousy causes a huge mess and almost gets Emma killed. No, the death date is very bad news. Glad you enjoyed it and you're welcome! :)
Lightning in a Bottle
Chapter 49: Fasten Your Seatbelts, Pt 1
Emma could hear voices, but they were muffled and she couldn't make out what they were saying. Something was wrong and she could feel pain. The voices sounded angry and panicked, as her eyes fluttered open and closed. Suddenly, she was gripped by a Calling.
Emma opened her eyes and jumped up in fright, realizing she was back on Flight 828. But it was very different from what had really happened. Her brother was holding his son tightly, as the plane was nosediving and she could see it on his face. They were going to crash.
"No…that's not what happened," she muttered, as she looked at Henry.
"Henry…" she uttered.
"Save the passengers," Henry said, before things went white and blank.
Emma opened her bleary eyes and saw Neal above her, pressing a towel into her belly wound, as he tried to stop the bleeding. He looked panicked and she could hear Killian calling it in with the words, Officer down, and suspect in custody.
"Run…" she croaked. He looked at her in surprise and shook his head.
"I'm not leaving you," he refuted.
"Run…or you'll never see me again," she pleaded. Reluctantly, Neal stood up and did as she asked, bolting from the apartment.
"Neal! Neal stop!" Killian ordered, but didn't give chase. Instead, he pressed against Emma's wound, as the paramedics arrived.
David held Margaret close, as she clung to him and rested her head in the nape of his neck. When he had gotten word that Emma had been shot, their world seemed to further crumble. First the discovery of the death date and now Emma was clinging to life.
"She has to make it…you have to make it," Margaret whispered to him. He cupped her beautiful face in his hands and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"She will…and so will I. We'll find a way…we always do," he promised, before gently pressing a kiss to her lips. The kids sat in chairs nearby, Olive's hand in Henry's, as they waited patiently to hear about their Aunt, just as Killian approached.
"What the hell happened?" David snapped at him.
"It was Neal…he had a gun and he pulled it on me," Killian said.
"Really? And what were you doing at Emma's apartment?" Gold questioned with scrutiny.
"Emma and I are…were partners and I was concerned about your addict son's behavior! I caught him buying the gun illegally when I had an officer tail him," Killian said.
"You had him followed?" Margaret asked.
"MM…he's dangerous…" Killian replied.
"No…he's not. My son wouldn't have risked his own life to find him and save his life if he was. Not to mention…he's family. He's Regina's half brother," Margaret revealed. Killian was stunned for a beat.
"I…I didn't know that…Emma didn't tell me," he said.
"Because we're trying to keep Neal's return under the radar for now. Something similar to the plane happened to him," David replied.
"Fine…but why the gun?" Killian questioned.
"Because he was getting ready to stop Griffin from destroying all our lives by revealing the Callings to the world," Gold revealed, causing them all to look to him.
"He was?" Margaret asked. Gold nodded curtly.
"I confronted him after the spectacle at the television station and he confessed to me that he didn't want this family destroyed by that man. He was going to go down for murder to keep it from happening," Gold said, as a young, pretty brunette arrived and he was surprised.
"Hi…I got a call from your son and he told me I should come find you at the hospital. I thought it was you that had been injured," Belle said.
"No…just a friend that is very dear to him, to us," he replied, as she looked at the couple before them.
"Belle…this is David and Margaret Nolan and their children, Olive and Henry," he said.
"I remember you…you were on the plane!" Henry said, as he rushed up to her and she was surprised when he hugged her. She smiled and hugged him back.
"I was…it's very nice to meet you, Henry. It's been a bit lonely since the plane came back. I'm glad you have people," she said.
"You were really on the plane?" Margaret asked. She nodded.
"I've been having trouble finding employment. I guess no one wants to hire a librarian with bookkeeping skills that was on flight 828," she said, as she looked at Gold.
"But Mr. Gold offered me a job managing his books in the shop," she added.
"That's wonderful…and it's so nice to meet you," Margaret said.
"Definitely…and I know how hard it is finding a job out there," David replied.
"So…the friend that was hurt?" Belle asked.
"My sister…she was on the plane too," David replied, as he saw Regina come out of the emergency area. David took his wife's hand and they rushed to her.
"It was touch and go there for a while…but she's stable and made it through surgery just fine. She'll make a full recovery," Regina announced. Margaret let out a cry of relief and David hugged her tightly. Regina smiled, as her step-sister then hugged her.
"Can we see her?" David asked. She nodded.
"Normally they only let one immediate family member back there, but since I know you are both going to go no matter what anyone says, you can go back," she said. David looked back at their kids.
"Belle and I will keep the children company," Gold offered. He nodded.
"Thanks," he replied, as he took Margaret's hand and Regina led them back.
"Where are you going?" Gold growled, as Killian turned to leave.
"I have Emma's shooter to find," he said.
"Neal didn't intentionally shoot Emma…and you know it," Gold replied.
"Yet he did…and when I find him, he's under arrest," Killian said, as he left.
"Oh Emma…" Margaret fretted, as they entered the room and approached her bedside. She opened her eyes a bit and felt comforted, as David pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"You scared the hell out of us…" he whispered. She managed a weak smile.
"I'll be okay…I hope the cops don't find Neal," she confessed.
"Then it was an accident?" Margaret asked. She nodded.
"Not his fault…tell Killian not to arrest him," she said.
"We'll try…but he's pretty determined," David replied.
"You rest," Margaret said.
"There's more…I had another Calling while waiting on the ambulance," she said, as she swallowed thickly.
"I was back on Flight 828…and it was crashing. Then Henry looked at me and said "save the passengers," she said. David and Margaret exchanged a glance. They had no idea what a Calling like that could even mean.
"What?" she asked, noticing their unspoken communication.
"Come on guys…enough with the talking with your eyes thing…" she urged with mild annoyance.
"We…we discovered something. It seems that Griffin was only back for the same time he was gone," David explained.
"So…what he expired?" she asked. He nodded.
"And you think we have an expiration date too?" she asked.
"Yes…though I've been calling it a death date. We're not milk or lunchmeat," he quipped. She scoffed.
"But we're not giving up…we're going to figure this out," Margaret insisted.
"Of course…of course we are," he replied, as he put his arms around her.
"Like our lives couldn't get anymore insane…" she mentioned wryly.
Two Months Later
In the two months that had passed since the shooting, the cops had been unable to locate Neal and arrest him. They had even more trouble with public light being shined on Neal when Sidney Glass wrote an article about Neal's disappearance and miraculous reappearance one year later. They weren't sure how he had found out, but were certain that Cora had something to do with it.
In that time though, Emma recovered from her gunshot wound and temporarily moved back in with her brother and sister-in-law during the recovery. Robert came by often to help and they all assisted her with her physical therapy exercises so she could get back on her feet.
In the meantime, David and Margaret had kept her pregnancy a secret, except for Regina, until the first sonogram, which they were finally having. They wanted to make sure everything was okay before telling the kids and the rest of their family. Plus, they were hoping to keep her pregnancy a secret from the media as long as possible. So far, they did not know of any other babies that had been born to any return passengers and knew the limelight would be shined on the first one and there would be a scrutiny that was both scary and intrusive.
For now though, they were just excited for their first sonogram. Despite all the uncertainty surrounding their lives, they were ecstatic about their new baby.
"Mr. and Mrs. Nolan…I'm doctor Miller," the woman said, as she approached. Margaret was ready, laying on the exam table, ready for the next step.
"How many past pregnancies?" she asked.
"One…but it was twins," Margaret replied. David smiled, as he remembered that day very clearly.
Flashback
Mr. and Mrs. Nolan, I'm doctor Anderson and I see this is your first pregnancy?" he asked the young couple, who were just glowing with happiness.
"It is," David said, as he held her hand and smiled at her.
"Okay…this solution will be a little cold," he warned, as he spread it on her belly and the machine whirred to life.
"Okay…he or she is very small, but there's the head," he said, as he pointed at the monitor. They saw it and were stunned to speechlessness.
"Oh David…" she said, as he grinned and kissed her forehead.
"Our baby…" he said, as tears filled his eyes.
"Oh…" the doctor said and it burst their bliss for a moment.
"Is something wrong?" Margaret asked with trepidation.
"No…not wrong, just unexpected. It seems that there are two heartbeats. You're having twins," he announced, further stunning them. They were overwhelmed with joy on that day, to say the least.
"Twins…and so they would be about fifteen by now?" she asked.
"Well…um yes, one of them…it's kind of hard to explain," David stammered. The doctor smiled kindly and put her hand up.
"Oh I see now…Dr. Mills mentioned that there was a special case with your boy. But the procedure is about as simple as it was then. This will be a little cold," she said, as she spread the solution on her belly and the machine whirred to life. They saw the image immediately. A tiny head and one heartbeat this time.
"It's too soon to tell the gender yet, but I'll print you out some copies," she said, as she enjoyed the look of wonder on their faces.
"Thank you…" Margaret said.
"And everything is okay?" David asked. She nodded.
"Everything appears normal and we have a strong heartbeat. I'll get those copies and then see you two in a couple weeks for another appointment," the doctor said, as she stepped out.
"Oh David…I didn't think this was ever going to be possible for me again," Margaret gushed, as tears slipped down her cheeks. He held her and pressed a kiss to her hair, as her eyes were still fixated on the monitor. He could have told her it would have been okay for her to move on, but he didn't. They just weren't the same as other couples. One of them without the other was simply half a person, half a heart, and half a soul. What they had was eternal, true, and irreplaceable.
"I know, my love…we're looking at our little miracle," he said, as he pressed a tender kiss to her lips and then he helped her get dressed, as the doctor returned and they checked out. Unfortunately, neither of them noticed Sidney Glass lurking at the nurse's station once they left with a smirk on his face.
"And the potential for my research to expand beyond pediatric cases is both exciting and fascinating," Regina said.
"That's great…and I'm glad work is going well. But I think we come here to these sessions to talk about you, Regina. Not your work," Fiona said, as she conducted theri latest session. Regina shrugged.
"I'm fine…there's not much in my personal life right now," she said.
"Oh? You said that you've been spending a lot of time with your new family," Fiona recalled. Regina smiled.
"Of course…that part of my life is great too," she said. Fiona smiled gently.
"Yes I can tell…you light up when you talk about them," she pointed out. Regina smiled at that.
"It's hard not to…I love them and I love having a niece and nephew, with one more on the way," Regina said, letting that last part slip.
"Oh?" Fiona asked.
"Oh…well, since this is confidential, I suppose it's not a big deal, but David and Margaret are expecting," Regina said. The Major almost couldn't hide her smirk.
"How wonderful," she answered. Regina smiled.
"It is…" she said.
"Regina…we've been having these sessions for weeks now and have yet to get to the heart of the reason you're here," Fiona replied. Regina looked down and then sighed.
"You're right…I'm here, because I'm a mess. If it wasn't for my family, I'd be on the verge of a complete meltdown," she confessed.
"Good…let's talk about that," Fiona said, as their session continued.
David and Margaret arrived home, all smiles, to see Robert helping Emma with her physical therapy exercises. Gold and Belle had stopped by as well. They had been there a lot lately, as Neal had completely dropped off the radar and they were all a united front in trying to find him. Emma was determined to get back on her feet and then try to get the charges against him dropped. The kids were at the table doing homework nearby as well.
"More exercises? Emma…I think you're pushing yourself too hard," Margaret fretted.
"See…I told you she was going to have a fit about a second session," Robert chided.
"MM…I'm fine and I need to get back to the station and try to make things right for Neal," she said.
"Oh I know…just be careful," Margaret pleaded.
"See…I told you. She might as well be my Mom," Emma said, looking at Belle, who smiled in amusement.
"So…Margaret and I have some news," David mentioned, as they grinned at each other.
"You two gonna tell us or just do the whole true love telepathy thing?" Emma joked. David rolled his eyes and Margaret beamed.
"I'm pregnant," she announced, which was met with a chorus of cheers and then a wave of hugs.
"Congratulations!" Belle gushed.
"Thanks," Margaret replied. She had Belle had become good friends since they met two months ago and she had noticed the stirrings of things between her and Mr. Gold. She hoped it worked out for them.
"I hope it's a boy," Henry announced.
"No, we have you. I hope it's a girl," Olive said, as they both hugged their parents.
"Congratulations indeed," Gold said, as he shook hands with David and then helped Emma up so she could hug him.
"I'm so happy for you," she said, as she hugged MM too.
"Thanks," he said. David saw that Robert's eyes were misting and they shared a hearty hug.
"Congratulations…you are more than twice the father I ever was," he said.
"All that's behind us and you're a wonderful grandfather," David replied. Margaret looked on and smiled, as she relished that the once rocky relationship between father and son had not only mended, but grown into a loving one.
"Can we have ice cream to celebrate?" Henry asked.
"You know, normally I'd say no before dinner, but I think the baby and I could definitely go for some ice cream," she said, as she kissed David's cheek and went to the kitchen to get it out for everyone.
"Ready for all the late night cravings again?" Emma teased. David grinned.
"I can't wait…" he replied.